Cedar vase finish

So I finished turning a vase out of cedar, sanded up to 500, have applied layer after layer of feed and wax(orange oil and beeswax) but the cedar just keeps sucking it in, I am happy with the finish when the oil is just applied but as the wood sucks it in, it gets dull.

Is there a finish I can put on that will keep that glossy look? the wood is probably only 1/4 thick at any point on the walls, and about 5/8 on the bottom, its been oiled in and out, I don’t see how this wood could still be sucking the finish in.

I have never used shellac but it seems that lots of people do, is this something I should try?

Sorry for the newbie question but I am only about 3 weeks into wood working career.

-- Today is the tomorrow they promised us yesterday.

2 replies so far

You’ve raised a few good points with your post. First of all, cedar is one of those woods that seems to drink in finish ad infinitum, due to the fact that it is a comparatively soft wood. Secondly, an oil and wax based finish is unlikely to build up to a high gloss, especially given the fact that beeswax is soft. You generally need to use a hard film finish to like lacquer, shellac or varnish in order to build a gloss. Finally, you could use shellac on your piece. In fact, that may be the best choice in this case. Most other finishes will react badly to the wax which you’ve already applied to the wood. On the other hand, shellac naturally contains wax, and should give you the gloss that you want. The shellac will also serve to seal in the wax, and you may be able to apply another finish over top of it. If you do, though, I’d use a scotchbrite pad in conjunction with mineral spirits or naphtha to remove as much of the wax as possible, prior to applying the shellac.

Thank you for your reply, I will pick up some shellac tomorrow on the way home, mineral spirits also. Even the redwood bowl I made seemed like it did not suck the oil as bad, it was thicker but my mother thinks its because it was a burl and the grain was tighter.